Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Ocean Energy Beyond Wind glossary (page 2)

The marine-renewable and CCS vocabulary beyond fixed offshore wind: tidal-stream turbine active yaw, named tidal and wave-energy demonstration projects, carbon capture and storage projects reusing depleted reservoirs, and the energy-cluster and demonstration terms. Grounds each term in the marine-energy device or the CCS project it names.

423 defined terms.

Showing 173 on this page (page 2 of 2).

N

Nova Innovation: Scottish tidal stream developer that operates the Shetland Tidal Array in Bluemull Sound.
Nova Scotia tidal energy program: Provincial policy framework that supports tidal stream demonstration at FORCE.
Nuclear marine renewable hybrid: Conceptual studies combining nuclear baseload with tidal and wave generation in island systems.

O

O2 (Orbital Marine Power): 2 MW floating tidal turbine deployed in the Fall of Warness, Orkney, by Orbital Marine Power.
Ocean current energy: Class of marine renewable that targets large persistent currents such as the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio.
Ocean Energy Buoy: Floating oscillating water column wave device tested in Galway Bay and at the US Navy Wave Energy Test Site.
Ocean Energy Europe: Brussels-based industry association representing tidal, wave, OTEC, and salinity gradient stakeholders.
Oceans of Energy: Dutch offshore floating solar developer that has operated a pilot array off the Dutch North Sea coast.
OES Environmental: International Energy Agency initiative tracking environmental effects of marine renewable energy.
OffshorePlan: Generic label for offshore marine spatial planning documents in EU member states.
Open-cycle OTEC: OTEC configuration that flashes warm seawater into low-pressure steam to drive a turbine and can co-produce desalinated water.
OpenHydro: Irish tidal stream developer that built ducted turbines and entered insolvency in 2018 when parent Naval Energies closed it down.
Operations and maintenance vessel: Service operations vessel or crew transfer vessel class used for tidal, wave, floating solar, and CCS sites.
OPEX optimization (marine): Operational expenditure reduction strategies through condition-based maintenance at tidal, wave, and CCS sites.
Orbital Marine Power: Scottish floating tidal energy developer that operates the O2 turbine in Orkney waters.
Orcades shipping route: Historical shipping reference around Orkney relevant to EMEC and MeyGen marine traffic studies.
Orkney Islands Council: Scottish local authority that hosts EMEC, the European Marine Energy Centre.
Oscillating water column: Wave energy converter type in which wave-induced air pressure changes drive a turbine, used in shoreline and floating designs.
Oscillating wave surge converter: WEC type in which a flap pivots in nearshore waves, exemplified by the Oyster device.
OTEC: Ocean thermal energy conversion, a renewable power technology exploiting the temperature difference between warm surface and cold deep tropical seawater.
Outer Sound (Pentland Firth): Sub area of the Pentland Firth referenced in tidal stream resource assessments adjacent to MeyGen.
Overtopping device: Wave energy converter that captures water in a reservoir above sea level for subsequent low-head turbine discharge, exemplified by Wave Dragon.
Oyster (Aquamarine Power): Hinged oscillating wave surge converter developed by Aquamarine Power and tested at EMEC.

P

Pacific Marine Energy Center: PMEC, a US Department of Energy supported test infrastructure for wave and tidal devices on the Pacific coast.
Pareto front (marine design): Trade-off curve used in multi-objective optimization of tidal turbine and wave device designs.
Passive Acoustic Monitoring: Listening with hydrophones to monitor marine life and noise.
PelaCon: Internal reference to Pelamis converters historically tested off Orkney.
Pelamis Wave Power: Scottish wave energy developer of the P1 and P2 attenuator devices that entered administration in 2014.
Pentland Firth: High-energy tidal channel between Caithness and Orkney that hosts the MeyGen tidal stream array.
PERMEND: Generic placeholder for permitting and consenting documentation in marine renewable projects.
Pilot well (CCS): First injector drilled at an offshore storage site to confirm reservoir behavior before scaling up.
Plug and abandon: Decommissioning procedure for offshore wells that is also applied when reusing wells for CO2 monitoring.
Plymouth Marine Laboratory: UK research institute that contributes to environmental monitoring at marine renewable sites.
Pneumatic stabilized platform: Offshore platform concept that uses air-filled cells, occasionally cited in floating solar studies.
Port of Rotterdam: Major European port that anchors the Porthos and Aramis CCS projects and several hydrogen import schemes.
Porthos: Dutch offshore CCS project led by Gasunie, EBN, and Port of Rotterdam to transport CO2 to depleted gas fields in the Dutch North Sea.
PosHYdon: Dutch pilot project producing green hydrogen on the Q13a-A platform in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.
Power purchase agreement (marine): Long-term offtake contract used to underpin financing of tidal stream, wave, and offshore hydrogen projects.
PRO: Pressure-retarded osmosis, a salinity gradient power technology that exploits osmotic pressure across selective membranes.
Project DEEPC: European consortium reference name for deep water CCS storage studies.
Project Greensand: Alternate styling of the Greensand CO2 storage project led by INEOS in the Danish North Sea.
Project Longship: Norwegian government umbrella program for CO2 capture, transport, and storage that includes Northern Lights.
Pulsed turbine (OTEC): Concept of using intermittent high-flow turbines in open-cycle OTEC plants.

Q

Q13a-A platform: Neptune Energy operated platform in the Dutch North Sea that hosts the PosHYdon green hydrogen pilot.
Quadrant cell (marine spatial): Sub block used in offshore licensing for CCS and hydrocarbon activities in the UK and Norwegian sectors.
Quay side commissioning: Pre-deployment integration testing of tidal turbines, wave devices, and floating solar platforms before tow-out.
Quenched flow (OTEC): Operational condition in which the temperature differential drops below the minimum required for net OTEC generation.
Quintet array: Generic reference label for five-device tidal or wave demonstration arrays.

R

Rance estuary: Estuary in Brittany, France, dammed by the La Rance Tidal Power Station.
Range tide: Component of the tide associated with vertical sea level change, exploited by tidal range schemes.
Rated capacity: Nameplate output of a tidal turbine, wave converter, or offshore hydrogen electrolyzer.
Raz Blanchard: Tidal current zone off Cap de la Hague, France, where HydroQuest and others have tested tidal stream devices.
RED: Reverse electrodialysis, a salinity gradient power technology that uses ion exchange membranes to generate electricity from concentration differences.
Redbubble (marine acoustic): Generic term for acoustic noise mitigation during pile driving at offshore renewable sites.
Reefcube: Artificial reef structure occasionally co-located with marine renewable installations for biodiversity enhancement.
Reference seabed conditions: Baseline environmental dataset against which marine renewable and CCS impacts are evaluated.
Renewable energy zone: Designated marine area allocated for renewable development under national or regional spatial plans.
Repsol: Spanish integrated energy company involved in offshore CCS, wave energy, and hydrogen partnerships.
Reservoir pressure (CCS): Pressure regime in a CO2 storage formation that determines injection rates and containment limits.
Resource overlap conflict: Potential interaction between marine renewable, CCS, fishing, and shipping interests in a given sea area.
Reverse osmosis: Membrane fresh water generator producing potable water from sea water.
Ringhorne field: Norwegian North Sea field referenced in regional CO2 storage screening studies.
Riser (offshore): Vertical pipeline component used for hydrocarbon, hydrogen, or CO2 transfer between seabed and surface facilities.
Roller-pump WEC: Generic class of mechanical wave converters that drive hydraulic pumps via rolling motion.
Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy: RITE, the Verdant Power demonstration in the East River, New York City.
Round Island wave site: Generic reference to Caribbean wave resource assessments.
RTE: Réseau de Transport d'Electricité, the French transmission system operator that connects tidal stream projects in Brittany.
Ruim Wave: Generic label used in early wave energy resource mapping in southern Europe.

S

Sabella: French tidal stream developer based in Quimper that has operated the D10 and D12 turbines in the Fromveur Passage off Ushant.
SAE Renewables: Trading name of the company formerly called Simec Atlantis Energy, the operator of the MeyGen tidal array.
Saipem: Italian offshore engineering contractor active in offshore wind, floating solar, hydrogen, and CCS projects with Equinor and others.
Saline aquifer storage: Use of deep saline formations to permanently store CO2, the primary mechanism at Northern Lights and Endurance.
Salinity gradient power: Generic term for ocean energy technologies including PRO and RED that exploit differences in salt concentration.
Salter duck: Historic wave energy converter concept developed by Stephen Salter at the University of Edinburgh.
Sandbank exclusion: Marine spatial planning constraint to avoid disturbance of mobile sandbank habitats by renewable and CCS infrastructure.
Scapa Flow: Sheltered body of water in Orkney used for assembly and tow-out of devices tested at EMEC.
Scour Protection: Rock or mattress placed at the base of offshore foundations to prevent seabed erosion that would expose cables.
Sea cucumber exclusion: Generic benthic habitat consideration relevant to OTEC discharge plume design.
Sea Power Platform: Generic label for hybrid offshore platforms combining wind, wave, and hydrogen production.
Seabased AB: Swedish wave energy developer of point absorber devices and linear generators.
Seabed Lease: Property right granted by a state authority such as the Crown Estate for cable, pipeline, or wind installation.
Sedwell tide gauge: Generic placeholder for tide gauge stations used in tidal resource validation.
Sequestration capacity: Estimated mass of CO2 that can be stored in an offshore reservoir, expressed in million tonnes.
SEV: Faroese electricity utility that integrates Minesto Dragon tidal output into the Faroe Islands grid.
Severn Estuary: UK estuary with one of the highest tidal ranges in the world, repeatedly studied for barrage and lagoon schemes.
Shell Quest: Canadian onshore CCS project referenced as analog for offshore CCS injection operations.
Shetland Tidal Array: Tidal stream array operated by Nova Innovation in Bluemull Sound, Shetland, Scotland.
Shore approach (CCS): Coastal section of a CO2 pipeline that links onshore capture to subsea export systems.
Shuttle tanker (CO2): Operational class of dedicated CO2 carriers serving Northern Lights and similar offshore stores.
Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station: 254 MW tidal range plant on the western coast of South Korea, commissioned in 2011 and the largest of its kind in operation.
Simec Atlantis Energy: Former name of SAE Renewables, the company that operates the MeyGen tidal stream project.
Sleipner CO2 storage: Norwegian project at the Sleipner gas field that has injected CO2 into the Utsira formation since 1996.
Slipway (marine renewable): Coastal facility for launching and recovering tidal turbines and wave devices.
SolarDuck: Netherlands-Norway floating solar developer focused on offshore-grade floating photovoltaic systems.
Solway Firth: UK estuary historically studied for tidal range generation.
Sonardyne: UK provider of underwater acoustic monitoring used at tidal and CCS sites.
Specific yield (tidal): Energy produced per swept area at a tidal turbine, used to compare device technologies.
Spectral wave model: Numerical model used to characterize wave climate at WEC sites.
Spillway (tidal range): Controlled overflow structure at a tidal barrage or lagoon.
Storage atlas (CO2): National or regional inventory of geological storage sites for offshore CCS, published in the UK, Norway, and EU.
Storage development plan: Regulatory document required for offshore CO2 storage projects covering MMV, well design, and abandonment.
Stratospheric balloon (marine survey): Niche platform occasionally used in marine renewable resource and environmental surveys.
STX OSV: Shipbuilder ancestor of Vard that has built specialized support vessels for offshore renewable and CCS markets.
Subsea hydrogen pipeline: Pipeline designed to transport gaseous hydrogen from offshore production platforms to onshore networks.
Subsea umbilical: Composite line that carries power, control signals, and chemicals to subsea tidal turbines and CCS equipment.
Sustainable Marine Energy: Tidal stream developer of the PLAT-I floating platform tested in Connel, Scotland and in Nova Scotia.
Sustained current (ocean): Long-term mean current relevant for ocean current energy resource estimation.
Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon: Proposed UK tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay, Wales, that did not proceed after government withdrew support.

T

Tampnet: North Sea offshore communications operator using subsea fiber to serve offshore oil and gas platforms.
TAQA: International energy company involved in offshore wind, gas, and CCS partnerships in the North Sea.
TenneT: Dutch and German transmission system operator responsible for offshore wind grid connection in the Dutch and German North Sea.
Thrust load (tidal turbine): Axial force on a tidal stream rotor, a key structural design parameter for foundations.
Tidal barrage: Civil engineering structure that uses a dam fitted with low-head turbines to harness tidal range, as at La Rance and Sihwa.
Tidal energy converter: General term for any device that captures kinetic or potential energy from tides, including stream turbines and barrage turbines.
Tidal kite: Tethered underwater device that flies in a figure-eight pattern through tidal currents, developed by Minesto.
Tidal lagoon: Impoundment built off an estuary that uses bidirectional turbines and sluices to generate from tidal range.
Tidal range scheme: Generic term for barrage and lagoon projects that exploit vertical tide differences for power generation.
Tidal stream: Horizontal water movement due to tides.
Tideland Signal: Generic marine aids-to-navigation supplier whose products are used to mark tidal arrays and CCS exclusion zones.
TotalEnergies: French energy major with offshore wind interests including Seagreen with SSE, Eolmed floating, Erebus floating, and US Atlantic leases.
TPL drilling: Generic reference to top-hole drilling phases used for CCS injection well construction.
Trafigura: Commodities trader that has invested in CO2 shipping and offshore renewable projects.
Transient electromagnetic survey: Geophysical method occasionally used to monitor offshore CCS storage sites.
Turbine generator unit (TGU): Specific component name used in tidal stream device documentation.
Turbulence intensity (tidal): Statistical measure of velocity fluctuations at a tidal site, important for fatigue loading on turbines.

U

U-OWC: U-tube oscillating water column concept tested at small scale in Mediterranean breakwater installations.
Ulstein design: Vessel architecture used in several offshore renewable and CCS service vessels, including X-Bow hull forms.
Umfolozi tidal study: Generic placeholder for African tidal energy resource investigations.
Underwater noise budget: Cumulative acoustic emission budget allocated to marine construction including tidal and CCS works.
Unsaturated zone (CCS): Shallow subsurface monitoring target for above-zone leak detection at offshore stores.
Upper Permian Zechstein: Geological formation in the southern North Sea that includes potential seals for CO2 storage complexes.
Upstream sediment transport: Process altered by tidal range schemes that affects estuarine morphology.
Utsira Formation: Sandstone aquifer in the Norwegian North Sea used for CO2 storage at Sleipner since 1996.

V

Vagn turbine: Generic reference to small-scale tidal turbine prototypes evaluated in Nordic test sites.
Vard: Norwegian shipbuilder, builder of REV Ocean.
Vattenfall: Swedish state utility with offshore wind portfolio including Horns Rev 1 and 2, Kriegers Flak, Hollandse Kust Zuid, and Norfolk Vanguard.
Verdant Power: US tidal stream developer that has operated the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy project in the East River, New York City.
Vertical axis tidal turbine: Tidal stream device with rotor axis perpendicular to the flow, used by HydroQuest and others.
VHF Marine Band: 156 to 174 MHz radio band used for maritime communications.
Visual impact assessment: Component of marine renewable consenting that addresses seascape and coastal landscape effects.
VLCO2C: Conceptual class of very large CO2 carriers under study for inter-regional offshore CCS transport.
VOC management: Volatile organic compound controls relevant to CO2 capture facilities upstream of offshore transport.

W

Wadden Sea: Protected coastal area off the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark that influences siting of offshore renewable, hydrogen, and CCS infrastructure.
Wave Dragon: Overtopping wave energy converter originally developed in Denmark and tested at large scale in Nissum Bredning.
Wave Energy Prize: US Department of Energy competition that supported development of innovative wave energy converters.
Wave Energy Scotland: Public body established by the Scottish Government to support pre-commercial wave energy technology development.
Wave farm: Generic term for an array of wave energy converters at a single site, such as the Aguçadoura installation in Portugal.
Wave height exceedance: Statistical metric used in WEC and floating solar design to specify survivability thresholds.
Wave Hub: UK wave energy test infrastructure off the north coast of Cornwall that is no longer operating in its original configuration.
Wave Period: Time between successive wave crests at a fixed point.
Wave Power Inc.: Generic placeholder for historic North American wave energy ventures.
Wave roller (AW Energy): Submerged oscillating wave surge converter developed by AW Energy of Finland.
WaveBoost: European research project on improving wave energy converter power take-off systems.
WaveStar (Denmark): Multi-float wave energy converter that operated a demonstrator off Hanstholm, Denmark.
WEC: Wave energy converter, a general class of devices that extract energy from sea surface waves.
Wello Penguin: Finnish wave energy device developed by Wello that operated at EMEC before company difficulties.
WeMar: Generic placeholder for European marine renewable academic networks.
Wet-Mate Connector: Underwater electrical connector that can be mated and demated subsea by ROV, used in cable and umbilical termination.
White Rose CCS: Cancelled UK CCS project that informed later East Coast Cluster designs.
Wind hydrogen integration: System concept that pairs offshore wind with electrolysis, central to AquaVentus and H2Mare.
Wintershall Dea: Operator that has partnered in the Greensand CCS project and other North Sea CO2 storage studies.
Wood Group: International engineering and consulting firm active in offshore CCS, hydrogen, and marine renewable engineering.
Worley: Engineering services contractor engaged in offshore CCS, hydrogen, and floating renewable projects.

X

X-Press tidal: Generic placeholder for tidal stream developer trade names and prototypes.
Xodus Group: UK consultancy active in marine renewable, offshore hydrogen, and CCS technical assurance.

Y

Yacheng terminal: Chinese coastal facility studied in offshore CO2 transport and hydrogen import assessments.
Yara Sluiskil: Dutch ammonia plant whose CO2 emissions are slated for offshore storage via the Aramis project.
Yeu-Noirmoutier: Coastal site in France where Lhyfe operates an offshore hydrogen production pilot connected to the Floatgen platform.
Yield assessment (wave): Estimation of annual energy production from a wave farm based on device matrix and resource scatter plot.

Z

Zechstein seal: Salt and anhydrite layers of the Zechstein Group that act as primary seals for several offshore CCS sites in the southern North Sea.
Zeebrugge terminal: Belgian port that is a planned CO2 export terminal feeding Northern Lights and other offshore stores.
Zero discharge OTEC: Operational concept in which OTEC plants minimize thermal and chemical discharge to surrounding waters.
Zonal exclusion (marine): Spatial constraint that prohibits specific activities within defined marine zones for safety or environmental reasons.